Jeremy Kneeland, 24, of Beaumont was charged with capital murder for the deaths of DeShondra Guillory, 25, and Israel Manuel, 25, on Sunday in the 1700 block of Bean Court.

Jeremy Kneeland, 24, of Beaumont was charged with capital murder for the deaths of DeShondra Guillory, 25, and Israel Manuel, 25, on Sunday in the 1700 block of Bean Court.

Photo: Julie Garcia/The Enterprise

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Jeremy Kneeland, 24, of Beaumont was charged with capital murder for the deaths of DeShondra Guillory, 25, and Israel Manuel, 25, on Sunday in the 1700 block of Bean Court.

Jeremy Kneeland, 24, of Beaumont was charged with capital murder for the deaths of DeShondra Guillory, 25, and Israel Manuel, 25, on Sunday in the 1700 block of Bean Court.

Photo: Julie Garcia/The Enterprise

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Beaumont Police are investigating a double-homicide involving the deaths of DeShondra Guillory, 26, and Israel Manuel, 25. The two women were shot early Sunday morning at the 1700 block of Bean Court. Travis Kneeland, 20, and Jeremy Kneeland, 24, are wanted for questioning.
Photo taken Monday, March 19, 2012
Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise less

Beaumont Police are investigating a double-homicide involving the deaths of DeShondra Guillory, 26, and Israel Manuel, 25. The two women were shot early Sunday morning at the 1700 block of Bean Court. Travis ... more

Photo: Guiseppe Barranco, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Beaumont man sentenced in killing of man, pregnant woman

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A 27-year-old Beaumont man, who faced capital murder charges for killing two people in 2012, was sentenced to 70 years in prison on Friday after a Jefferson County jury convicted him of lesser charges of manslaughter in the death of a pregnant woman and murder in the death of her boyfriend.

Jeremy Kneeland shot DaShondra Guillory, 26, through a window after firing four rounds at Israel Manuel, 25, at Guillory's home in the 1500 block of Bean Court on March 18, 2012, according to trial testimony.

The defense argued that Kneeland did not intend to kill Guillory when he fired shots through the window. The jury agreed, convicting Kneeland of

the lesser offense of manslaughter and sentencing him to 20 years in prison.

"How the jury came back with manslaughter is beyond me," Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham said after the trail.

Kneeland took the stand Friday for the sentencing phase, telling the jury he was prepared to spend his life in prison.

"Whatever y'all decide, I'm cool with it," he told the nine women and three men.

The jury sentenced Kneeland to 70 years in prison for the murder charge. The two sentences will be served concurrently, meaning at the same time.

The state did not seek the death penalty in Kneeland's capital murder case. Had he been found guilty of the capital offense, he would have automatically been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Since the jury found Kneeland guilty of murder in Manuel's death, he will be eligible for parole after serving a portion of his sentence.

Family members of the two victims' became loud as the verdict was read on Friday, some even screamed outcries of protest in the courtroom. An ambulance was called to treat Manuel's mother and aunt.

Criminal District Judge Raquel West told family members after a recess that she would not tolerate any future outbursts in the courtroom and asked anyone who was too emotional to handle the trial to wait outside.

West declared a mistrial in the Kneeland case in late March due to a "legal issue" that the court will not address until the end of this trial, said Rachel Grove, Jefferson County assistant district attorney, last week.

A new jury was brought in for the second trial.

According to trial testimony, Kneeland, Guillory, Manuel and others had been hanging out, using cocaine and listening to music, before the fatal shootings.

At some point in the day, Kneeland and Manuel got into a fight. Kneeland left and returned with a gun, according to testimony.

One of the men at the home that day testified that he saw Kneeland shoot Manuel in the back four times.

Joseph Hall, Manuel's step-brother, testified that Manuel told him "Pop did it," before he was taken to a Beaumont hospital. The prosecution said during opening statements that "Pop" was Kneeland's nickname.

Kneeland's sister, Ashley, and mother, Geraldine Stagg, told the jury on Friday that Kneeland is a Christian man who loves his family and worked hard as a contractor for local chemical plants to support his 9- and 8-year-old sons.

Ashley Kneeland, 29, said her brother prays every night for the victims' families.